“My Mosin Nagant Blew Up”

From ar15.com comes news that Ralph’s favorite cheapo rifle lost the plot, mate.

Well…it finally happened today. I’ve been in the C&R game about 5 years and own about 10 C&R weapons…even went down the road to get my 003 FFL. I have purchased 4 mosins and never had any issues…I do a thorough breakdown, inspection, head space, firing pin, and cleaning prior to shooting…obviously I missed something on my fourth mosin. I went to a public range today and was shooting (or shot) Romanian light ball.

First time to shoot this 1932 beauty today and I wasn’t hurt at all and actually didn’t even realize what happened until I chambered the second round. I saw the round impact the berm. No hot gas or anything in the face. I feel very lucky…lots of people at the range were snapping photos of the ruptured receiver. I picked up the steel and there was a split neck, but nothing crazy.

I was pretty shook up. As you’ll see in the pics, the receiver split in two right behind the chamber. Note the different color where the receiver failed…the discoloration indicates there was an existing failure. I really don’t think there was anything visible on the surface, but maybe I missed it. I went and bought a lotto ticket tonight.

The discoloration may be from a piece of slag in the stock steel that it was machined from. That theory could be confirmed with a bit of sandpaper if Ralph isn’t worried about messing up the finish :P.
Slag can contain high carbon and thus be more brittle. Russia may not have had the highest quality control in the steel foundries.

It’s a ’32 Tula hex receiver model, which was very overbuilt. If the headspace checks out, I’d would check the firing pin depth. If that checks out, and the ammo is within spec, then metal fatigue is the probable cause.

A lot of WW1 era Mosin Nagants were made by Remington and Westinghouse. Remington made a whole bunch more during WW2.

This particular gun fell into the trough between those production periods. Russian quality control has never been good.

I like the Mosin Nagant design, and have been looking for a Remington/Westinghouse manufactured example as a shooter. I guess I just feel more comfortable using a gun built to American standards when shooting a powerful cartridge like the 7.62x54R.

I can see why you may want an American made mosin, but they aren’t any safer. Don’t forget you are buying surplus rifles. Also when buying one look for stampings if you go to 7.62x54r . Net they tell you everything and more. I own a 1934 izhevsk all matching serial numbers and it’s got about 8 accuracy proof stamps and 9 conditions stamps. 7.62x54r is a marvelous all around round. Russia doesn’t exactly have low quality steel or quality control, given that they aren’t in a rush to make weapons. If they had low quality steel, most of these guns wouldn’t be shooting well.

That is incorrect. Remington did not make any Mosin rifles during WW2. They stopped in 1918, as did Westinghouse. The Russian Mosins–while often shot-out–are known for being extremely strong rifles. They were proofed just like any Western-made rifle. A 1932 Tula should be a nice firearm.

Indeed, if you screwed up the tempering in Stalin’s Russia, you were probably shot or sent to Siberia.

Pre-1918, they were made at Châtellerault (France), Tula, Izhvesk and Sestroryetsk in Russia, and during WW1 also at Remington and Westinghouse.

From 1918 until after WW2, the only Mosin receivers made were made at Tula and Izhvesk in Russia. Post-WW2, production was also done in other Warsaw Pact countries as well as China.

Even though the Finns made the nicest and most-accurate Mosin’s, they never made a receiver, all were Russian or US Surplus.

MrDryCry, you mentioned that the shellcase had split. Did you Go-NoGo the headspace before you fired the rifle? I think it would take a lot of pressure to crack a Nagant hex receiver and, as you know, there’s no place for gasses to vent.

Something like an overpressure round, slug seated out too far (contacting the rifling), or firing into a squib round just ahead of the chamber–or, as suggested by others, an existing, latent flaw in the metal.

I wouldn’t buy a hex receiver MS. Many of the hex receivers were made prior to 1930. The model changes in the 91/30 (1930) included the use of a round receiver. So at least you know your getting newer steel. Who knows if they had hex receivers laying around from earlier production/steel? Steel quality, anywhere in the world, improved considerably in the late 1930’s thru the war. Reusing old hex receivers with suspect steel…not for me. Izhevsk was the steel/metallurgical center in Soviet Russia. Make mine a 1940’s Izhevsk please. Nothing special about Tula.

Judging by the discoloration at the break, that receiver was cracked before you ever purchased it. A thorough visual inspection would have revealed that crack as would a dye-penetrant test. This is why you have your C&R guns inspected before you shoot them!